Valve-controlling gear of winding-engines.



R. J. WORTH. VALVE CONTROLLING GEAR 0F WINDING ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1010.

Patented June 30, 19M

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WWW/M R. J. WORTH. VALVE CONTRQLLING GEAR OP WINDING ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1910,

1,1 02,11 7, Patented June 30, 1914.

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UNITE ROBERT JAMES WORTH, OF NORTON-ON-TEES, ENGLAND.

VALVE-CONTROLLING GEAR OF WINDING-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 19141.

Application filed October 21, 1910. Serial No. 588,394.

To all whom may GO'ILlU/lt Be it known that I, Rosrurr JnMics NORTH, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Norton-on-.lees, in the county of Durham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the ValveControlling Gear of WVinding- Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the controlling gear of th valves of winding engines which are driven from the engine in the ordinary manner by a link reversing motion. or any of its equivalents, the control being effected by a cam arrangement provided on one or more drruns or disks mounted on its own shaft and driven by positive gear from the engine at not exceeding one revolution per wind and following in this respect the rotalion of the cam shaft as described in the specification oil? my former application Serial Number 51 1781, applied for the 26th day of August 1909. The reversing mechanism is brought into such connection with the controlling drum that it can be worked automatically or by hand in the ordinary way. Safety from over-winding is or may be secured by adjusting the cam arrangement on. the control drum so that by means oi intervening mechanism the steam is cut oil" from the engine and if necessary put against the engine at the proper time, or the like precaution against overwinding may be obtained by controlling the throttle valve and brake from the controlling drum while leaving the engineman free to close the throttle valve and apply the brake without regard to the automatic gear.

Having thus set forth in general terms the main features of my invention, and the operative ettects of same, I will now proceed to describe the same in full detail, and for that purpose shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fin". 2 a corresponding plan of valve controlling gear constructed in accordance with my invention; the right-hand side of Fig. 1 being taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of that part of the mechanism relating to the control of the throttle valve and brake, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 2; While Fig. 4c is a side elevation similar to Fig. 3, also relating to the control of the throttle alve and brake when the motion of the speed governor is combined with that derived from the control drum.

Referring more partimtllarly to Figs. 1 and 2, A the ontrol drum driven by positive gear from the engine at, not exceeding one revolution per wind, so that cams B B on the taco of this drum forming a suitable groove thereon are adapted to impart during the revolution of the drum a definite slow and suitably timed motion to a rocking lever 0 geared into the said groove by a roller or pin C. This motion of the lever C is conmumicatml through suitable intervening mechanism to the valve gear of the engine to regulate the supply and cut-off of the steam. WVhcu the balancing of the engine is such that the oscillating movement of the lever C for each complete wind is the same for either direction of drum rotation, only one such groove B is required as shown in Fig. 1; but where this is not the case there must be two sets of cams, one set for each direction of drum rotation, and where the cams are on the outer faces of the drum there will be two lovers 0 as shown in Fig.

oted at E and furnished with a roller or pin E running on the outside or periphery of the drum and receivingfor this purpose toward the end 01 a wind the requisite motion or displacement.

The intervening mechanism by which the valve gear is operated from the controlling drum consists as follows :'].he lover or levers C are connected by any convenient rods F F and if required an intermediate lever F :Eulcrumed at G to the movable reversing segment H. For structural compactness this movable segment I-I maybe mounted on the same shaft as the ordinary reversing lever 1' connected by the rod J to the ordinary valve reversing gear.

Kis a fixed bracket to which the reversing lover I can be pinned in the mid position when the engineman leaves the engine by inserting a suitable pin through a hole K in the bracket and through a hole K in the reversing lever.

It must be understood. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 that rod F" is pinned to segment H only, and rod J to the lever I only, consequently by interlocking the lever I to the segment H the movement transmitted from the controlling drum A to segment H is continued through lever I and rod J to the valve reversing gear without interfering with the enginemans independent control of said valve gear by lever I when the in terlock is removed, the usual spring latch and notch arrangement being a suit-able provision for the, purpose. It will now be seen that by providing a cam path of suitable helical contour on the end of t controlling drum as the latter slowly revolves a corresponding adjustment of the valve gear is taking place and that such adjustment may be anything required.

I will now proceed to describe that part of my invention by which the control drum is made to act upon the throttle valve and brake when required to stop the wind. For this purpose I provide intervening mechanism for closing the throttle valve and ap plying the brake which consists as fol lows :-On reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that lever E is kept in free and rolling contact with the periphery of the drum A by the balance weight E consequently when the cams. D D, D D, and 1) come into contact therewith a displacement of lever E occurs, and this displacement is designed by the special formation of the said cams to effect such movements in the mechanism con-- nected to the said lever as to close the throttle valve of the engine and then to apply the brake. Intervening mechanism for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 3 and consists as follows :A movable segment L connected to the lever E by the rod E is mounted on the shaft of lever M controlling the throttle valve and brake, the usual provision being made for interlocking the lever and segment together, in order that the lever M can be worked independently by the engineman. To the lower arm M of this lever is pinned the throttle valve rod O and the brake rod P, and these connections are so arranged that a certain motion of the lever, say in the direction of the arrow, shuts off steam and a further motion in the same direction applies the brake, that is to say the cams D I) shut off steam, and cams D D apply the brake when the lever M and segment are interlocked and the cam 13 shuts off steam and applies the brake just after the cage reaches its stopping place by means of the stop L on the segment L, this being a safety provision which only comes nto acti n a t r the engineman has withraw he atch. 0 th le er M. and is controlling the engine by hand should he fail to stop the engine at the proper point, but the cage must be allowed to travel a little beyond its proper stopping place before the stop L and cam D come into action so that when the cage is at rest at its proper stopping place sufficient travel is allowed the le ver M to enable steam to be admitted to start the engine.

N is a balance weight on the bell crank arm of the lever M, and its function is to move the lever to shut off steam and apply the brake at any time when by neglect or otherwise this lever is neither held by the enginemau nor locked to the segment L.

As will be seen in plan in Fig. 2 the shaft- Q which supports the valve gear lever I and segment H can be conveniently used for affording the like support for the throttle valve and brake lever M and segment L.

Fig. a shows the combination of the cam control with that of a speed governor, the movable segment L being worked by the rod as before described, but in place of the lever M being directly connected to P and 0 it is connected to a rod T which works one end of the fioatinglever U the other end of which is connected to a rod V from the speed governor, the throttle valve and brake valve levers being connected to an intermediate point as shown.

In connection with this gear any type of brake applied by steam, compressed air or other fluid pressure may be used, but for the utmost possible safety the type is preferable in which the brake is applied by a weight and the fluid pressure keeps the brake ofi.

In connection with this gear any type of governor may be used but,- preferably it should be capable of working the gear from its maximum speed down to one-third or one-fourth of the said maximum and it must be either of ample power in itself to work the throttle valve and brake valve or it may be a less powerful governor but provided with a servo-motor of ample power for the purpose.

I am aware that it is not novel to use a movable quadrant as a means of controlling the reversing lever when such quadrant is moved directly by gear from the engine and therefore moves during the whole time the engine is running at some definite proportion to the speed of the engine; but according to my present invention the quadrant is not driven directly by the engine but by a rod from cams on a drum which is driven by the engine and by giving suitable contour to these cams any desired motion can be given to the quadrant. For instance, the cams may be set to give full steam while the engine is accelerating, then to give either a constant or variable cut off. during the. full speed period of the run. and finally to cut off steam altogether at the proper point.

I m also aware that it has been proposed.

to utilize the action of a cam making one revolution per wind of the engine to bring the engine automatically to a standstill at the end of the journey by diminution of the admission of steam, this being effected by the intervention of mechanism by which the cam puts the rotation of the governor into gear with a screw reversing lever and moves it in the direction required, the cam being intentionally inoperative during the full speed of the wind; but according to my invention only the cams on the control drum are used to control the reversing gear or the expansion gear or both, the governor lmving no connection with this part or" the gear at all, and the cams can be intermittently or continuously .in operation during the whole wind, thus they may be set to give the maximum admission or steam during acceleration, and When full speed is attained such an earlier cut off, constant or variable, as will maintain full speed until the point is reached at which pulling up should commence, and at this point the cams can be set to bring the reversing lever to the neutral point, thus cutting off all steam. This portion of my invention, the main purpose of which is to economize the steam consumption of the engine, is equally applicable to all winding engines, whether they are or are not provided with speed governors.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to combine a motion derived from a speed governor, with cams on a drum making one revolution per wind, such governor and cams acting to prevent excessive speed by releasing a detent in order to shut oil the steam and apply the brake and thereby stop the engine forthwith, irrespective of the position of the cages in the shaft, thereby interfering with the regular output of the shaft; whereas according to my invention, another set of cams is used in connection with a speed governor, and their action is so combined as to regulate the speed within allowable limits during the full speed of the wind, and automatically to reduce speed from the point at which pulling up should commence until the lowest rate controllable by the governor is reached, after which the engineman brings the cage to its stopping place in the ordinary Way, but should the engineman be incapacitated by illness or otherwise, the cam control completes the stoppage of the engine.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United Fatates is 1. I n the valve controlling gear of a wind ing engine, the combination of a drum provided with a cam groove and driven from the engine shaft not exceeding one rotation for each complete wind, a pivoted arm carrying a roller engaging said cam groove, a movable segment, means connecting said movable segment and arm, a lever, and means for locking said lever to said segment whereby said. lever may be manually operated when disconnected from said seginent, substantially as described.

In the valve controlling gear of a winding engine, the combination of a drum driven from the engine shaft and rotated not exceeding one revolution for each complete wind, the drum being provided with a cam groove in its end, a pivoted arm carrying a roller engaging said cam groove, a movable segment, means connecting the movable segment to said. arm, a lever, and means for locking the lever to said segment whereby when the lever is disconnected from the segment it may be manually operated, substantially as described.

8. In the valve controlling gear of a winding engine, the combination of a drum driven from the engine shaft and rotated not exceeding one revolution for each complete wind, the drum being provided with cam means, a pivoted arm carrying a roller for engaging said cam means, a movable segment, means connecting the movable segment to said arm, a lever, and means for normally locking the lever to and disconnecting same from said segment, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT JAMES WORTH.

Witnesses:

Joi-IN WILLIAM WALTON, FREDERICK GEORGE ELLS CORNER.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G. 

